Falkirk teenagers host eco event in Callendar Park

Know Your Eco Falkirk is happening in the town’s Callendar Park next Friday, March 3, and while aimed at young people, it is open to everyone.

The event has been organised by Erin Henderson, 17, who is Falkirk’s Climate Champion and Tamsin Gold, 16, who is a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP).

Erin said: “I think a lot of young people don’t realise how climate change is going to affect them, the impact it’s having and just how big an effect it’s going to have on their future. We’re hoping to get the message across that young people can make a difference and it should be important to them.”

To do that, the event will focus on four key areas: sustainable living, clothing, transport and food.

Erin added: “I think a lot of the time, as individuals we feel insignificant and that we can’t do anything by ourselves, when that’s really not the case. We can do a lot – especially when we work together.”

To help get the message across, Erin and Tamsin have invited several companies and organisations to join them in Callendar Park on March 3.

“There’s going to be a big, massive gazebo and loads of stalls inside,” said Erin. “We’ve got a wide range of people coming and a wide range of ages so we want to make sure it’s accessible to a lot of different people.”

Alongside lots of young eco groups – including Fuel Change – there will be other organisations including Strathcarron Hospice, Young Scot and KLSB food pantry.

They hope that Strathcarron will be doing a pop-up boutique to show how good sustainable clothing can be and they will also ask people to sign up to help plant trees in the local area for the Woodland Trust in March.

Along with Fuel Change, they will host a competition to design a mural that will leave a lasting impact on the area. Erin, who is sixth year at Larbert High School, became involved as a Young Scot Local Champion although she is now “the only one standing”, she believes.

But her role put her in contact with Falkirk High School pupil Tamsin, who was just 15 years old when she was elected to the Scottish Youth Parliament to represent Falkirk West.

With funding from Youth Link Scotland, they began to plan the event although they both admit they had not quite appreciated the scale of the challenge. “It’s been a lot more work than we thought, that’s for sure,” said Tamsin.

But they both believe that young people are gradually becoming more and more aware of climate change.

Erin added: “It’s often talked about in a way that’s overwhelming and I think that’s why a lot of young people don’t engage with it. But we want to change that to a positive mindset and encourage them to believe we can make a difference.”